# For you wine tasters...



## KASR (Aug 2, 2006)

Me and my wife have been testing and collecting wine for alittle under a year now. Here are my anyday favorites (under 10 a bottle)

Yellow Tail Merlot or Shiraz...either one has a great mellow, yet full bodied flavor perfect for dinner or an evening sip.

Barefoot Merlot ... a great best/budget buy wine that has earned itself many awards for its simple and elegant taste. Perfect with just about anything you might eat.

Sunrise Merlot/Cab. - This bottle falls below 7 dollars and is one of my favorites. Bottled in Chile, where it's sunny 9/10th of the time, this selection is a really great, all around glass. It has a very full, fruity flavor. no vinegar taste here, just good full-bodied, red flavor. I recommend it with steak, cheeses, fruit, and red pasta.

Da Vinci Chianti - just try it. Nuff said. Had it with shark...great combo.

Burlewood Chardonnay - this stuff was recommended to me by a friend and came in around 10-15 a bottle. But was worth every little bit. It has a crisp and sweet flavor to the glass - perfect with fish and alfredo sauced pastas. Did very well with a plate of fruit and cheese.

Those are the personal favorites that we always come back to.
The yellow tail and Sunrise do well with cigars...atleast in my opinion. We also have a nice port wine that goes well with the puffs.

KASR


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## niner (Aug 3, 2006)

Around here, my wife and I get

*Llano:* Chenin Blanc($6), Cab.Sav.Res.($20),Chard.Res.($20).

*Pheasant Ridge:* Prop.White '96 or '98 ($3) - this is the best priced wine ever, they found 9000 cases or so a couple years back of this wine and it is still good. Their Pinot Noir ($14) and Chardonnay ($17) is very good too.

*Willman:* out of Ruidoso NM has a very good Chardonnay ($10), we don't get that in town though so we have to go get it 

*Llano* has very good ports also, they have the chairman's reserve for $25 for 375mL or $60 for 750mL in a decanter. That stuff is worth every penny.

We also get many different wines from the liquor store since they have a bargain rack for their old unsold wines, (yellow tails, barefoots, etc.) these are usually very good, however, since we live in a dry town the liquor stores are all outside of town and have free reign on prices so the bargain prices we pay are probably more expensive than the normal prices y'all pay


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## KASR (Aug 2, 2006)

niner said:


> We also get many different wines from the liquor store since they have a bargain rack for their old unsold wines, (yellow tails, barefoots, etc.) these are usually very good, however, since we live in a dry town the liquor stores are all outside of town and have free reign on prices so the bargain prices we pay are probably more expensive than the normal prices y'all pay


Dude...that sucks!

KASR


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## smokinpoke (Apr 8, 2006)

hate lubbock for that reason been that way ever since i was a kid....grand parents used to live there.


moussaou pinot noir i think thats how it is spelled i'll get back with you on this one

peachy canyon red zin

gnarley head red zin my favorite by far.

getting ready to polish off a 1.5l of mondavi zin

notice a pattern here.


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## Kiwi Michelle (Aug 2, 2006)

should try some fine wine from New Zealand. Used to work for Hunters Wines which are available in some parts of the states. Pretty big wines so not for the faint hearted. Not sure what they would retail for over there. Here they are around $20.00 a bottle. Chardonnay and Sav Blanc continuously win awards. Not many bad ones out of this country anyway - particularly Sav Blancs. Hard to beat the Aussie with red wine.


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

On the cheap side, try *Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay* or *Benzinger Caneros Chardonnay*. Neither are too oaked, yet both are balanced quite nice. CSM is a great value actually.


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## KASR (Aug 2, 2006)

mosesbotbol said:


> CSM is a great value actually.


I've heard the same thing, although I haven't had a chance to try them. I'll look for it next time I'm at the liquor store.

KASR


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## niterider56 (Jun 30, 2006)

I really like Cline red zin, Chateu St Michelle 03 Cab is very good also, just a couple of inexpensives that I drink.


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## Blueface (May 28, 2005)

May not be readily available in some markets as they are in South Florida but for the under $10 a bottle, there is a litany of Argentina Malbecs that get my vote.
They are wonderful wines that rival much more expensive ones from Napa and elsewhere.
There are so many to name but one of my favorites is Navarro Correas.
Also anthing from Bodegas Lopez or from Luigi Bosco is great.
If they are available in your area, give these best kept secrets a shot and you will fall in love with them.

P.S. they do have many around the $20 to $30 range that are truly worth trying but the under $10 work out just fine.


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## TU09 (Mar 26, 2006)

niterider56 said:


> I really like Cline red zin, Chateu St Michelle 03 Cab is very good also, just a couple of inexpensives that I drink.


Just tried the Cline Zin (2004) on this recommendation. This stuff is a great bargain. It is a solid easy sipping wine and much lighter than most zins. Very mellow, almost too mellow, too refined for me but still something I will definately buy again. Thanks for the suggestion!
:al


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## croatan (Mar 23, 2005)

nightrider56 said:


> I really like Cline red zin, Chateu St Michelle 03 Cab is very good also, just a couple of inexpensives that I drink.


For the price, I'm a big fan of the Cline, as well. Don't care for the Chateu St. Michelle, though.


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## stormin (Feb 11, 2005)

croatan said:


> For the price, I'm a big fan of the Cline, as well. Don't care for the Chateu St. Michelle, though.


I like Cline as well. They have a really nice Shiraz. Not really all that cheap up here though.


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## TU09 (Mar 26, 2006)

Just tried a Yellow Tail Shiraz-Grenache blend (05). Pretty tasty. I can honestly say I had never had a grenache, blended or otherwise, before but enjoy the Yellow Tail shiraz so I thought I would give it a shot. Big in the mouth with lots of dark, jammy fruits (black cherry) and that nice shiraz pepper. I was a little skeptical about the "strawberry aroma" that the grenache was supposed to contribute but after it had a chance to breathe it was definately there, though I am growing a bit tired of it. Don't know how well it would actually pair with food but a good, easy drinking wine for around $6.


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## jxpfeer (Aug 14, 2006)

Little Penguin Shiraz is one my gf and I like to have with dinner. Also a big fan of many of the local wines here in Upstate NY. Casa Larga has quite a few nice wines both whites and reds. their cab-merlot blend is excellent, and goes well with a good cigar


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## par (May 22, 2005)

I think that the vino rosso from niebaum-coppolla is a great bargain. If you want a really nice blend for your favourite pasta dish then this wine is a bargain at $10/bottle. They sell it at the safeways where i live.


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## Steve (Jan 18, 2006)

I have really taken a liking to several of the Yellow Tail wines lately. My wife brought home a bottle of YT Cab. the other night that went wonderfully with a Dark Knight III


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## EPICSMOKEHERE (Jul 27, 2006)

When my wife was my girlfriend she lived in central California, needless to say i tasted a lot of good wine, here are 2 of my favs. MUST TRY....

On the cheap from Trader Joes: Prosperity Red $5

I get this from my local wine shop: Rabid Red - this is a Cali blend for $15 that can battle most $50 bottles.

2 great reds.


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## Malik23 (Sep 21, 2006)

Anyone who hasn't needs to try a Penfolds Bin 2. Shiraz/Mourvedre blend. Awesome wine, sells for about $12 up by me. If you feel like spending a little more, the Penfolds Bin 389 (Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon) is out of this world and, IMO, very reasonably priced at about 25. Several of their other wines are very good, but the bin 2 and 389 wind up in my cart almost every time I am at the wine store.

We like to hit New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs for whites, as well as a few South Africans if you can find em. Greg Norman has some nice and nicely priced wines from Australia. His Californias I don't like so much yet, but the aussies are quite good, especially the blends. 

Also, if you can remember it when going to the wine store, try any california wine from the Russian River Valley. I've yet to be disappointed by a single one. We tend mostly towards Pinot Noir and some whites from there. They can be a bit more expensive, 15-30 range, but well worth it. 

Join the wine of the month club. It's great for trying new things you wouldn't otherwise be able to find or wouldn't pick up. It's not that much money, about $30 a month, and well worth it.

Finally, go visit your local wineries. Almost every one has a treasure waiting to be discovered.


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## EPICSMOKEHERE (Jul 27, 2006)

Malik23 said:


> Anyone who hasn't needs to try a Penfolds Bin 2. Shiraz/Mourvedre blend. Awesome wine, sells for about $12 up by me. If you feel like spending a little more, the Penfolds Bin 389 (Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon) is out of this world and, IMO, very reasonably priced at about 25. Several of their other wines are very good, but the bin 2 and 389 wind up in my cart almost every time I am at the wine store.
> 
> We like to hit New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs for whites, as well as a few South Africans if you can find em. Greg Norman has some nice and nicely priced wines from Australia. His Californias I don't like so much yet, but the aussies are quite good, especially the blends.
> 
> ...


Those are some great recs bro. I'm printing this out!


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## Malik23 (Sep 21, 2006)

EPICSMOKEHERE said:


> Those are some great recs bro. I'm printing this out!


Glad I could help


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## KASR (Aug 2, 2006)

Great info from all! Gotta restock the wine racks, so these have great suggestions!

KASR


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